Thank you to everyone who was able to come to our End of Year Mass this morning. It was lovely to see so many parents here. Our students were fabulous throughout the long service where we gave a blessing to all students and staff who are leaving St Benedict’s at the end of this year, our Year 6 students in particular. We look forward to their Rite of Passage on Monday evening to celebrate the transition from primary school to secondary school.

O’Holy Night

We have our much loved Carols night on Wednesday 30 November scheduled to be held here at school on the low oval from 6.30pm. If we continue to get more rain (as expected), our grounds become too wet and boggy for parking. We may have been able to sit on the oval with our blankets on the ground but the car parking becomes the major issue. We have tentatively booked the Ryan Community centre in Morindo Drive Kirwan to host our O’Holy night if the wet weather continues. There is plenty of good carparking there at the Church and across the road at the Mary Mackillop Centre. Please note however that the Ryan Community Centre is clearly not going to be as big a space as our low oval and if it is actually raining on the night, we won’t be able to spill out into the courtyards that surround the centre allowing space for more people. With this in mind, please consider the number of guests that you bring to the event if it is moved to the Ryan Community Centre. On our low oval, it is so easy to have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles but at the Ryan Community Centre, this will not be possible. 

OSHC 2023

Please know that I have heard there have been letters advising families they may not have a place for all the families who require it in 2023. I am working with MMCNQ and TCE to assist with attaining a higher level of registered space for OSHC and with some other ideas that may assist. I hope to provide more details about this by next week but will also stay on it over the break if need be. We understand the needs of our families and will continue to work towards a solution that works for everybody.

Step Up Day 2022

On Tuesday 29 November, we welcome all of our new Prep students and students new to other year levels as well as our new staff. Parents of new students are welcome to come along too. Students from 2022 Prep- Year 5 will move to their new year level block and classrooms by 9.00am and will be supported internally by current teaching and support staff. 2023 Prep and new students will meet in the hall. Prep students for 2023 will be split into their class groups in the hall and will go with their new teacher to their new classrooms. New students from other year levels will be supported to go to their new classrooms by leadership staff. All parents will remain in the hall to engage with visiting groups like OSHC, School Locker and the P&F. We will show a video from the 2022 year and provide a school tour for those who have not been able to attend one. Prep 2023 parents can then meet their children in the Prep playground just before 10.30am to collect them. Other new students can be collected from the hall. Any 2022 Year 6 students not attending the Ryan Orientation Day will be able to assist the leadership team with school tours. Any other students not returning to St Benedict’s in 2023 will be supervised by Mrs Sara Pemberton in the Technologies room.

Staffing 2023

Prep Bilbies- Miss Meg Durnford

Prep Wombats- Miss Kate Andrews

Prep Koalas- Mrs Amanda Prideaux

Prep Platypus- Miss Elly Caspanello

Prep School officers- Mrs Andrea Smalley, Mrs Anna Donaldson, Mrs Amanda Ackland, 

Mrs Dana Kern, Mr Dom Figg, Mrs Marlinda Squires

Year 1 Possums- Mrs Anita Abel (Beauchamp)

Year 1 Bandicoots- Miss Bridget Horton

Year 1 Wallabies- Mrs Chantel Redgen

Year 1 Echidnas- Mrs Charley Favalli and Mrs Gabby Torrens

Year 1 School Officers- Mrs Sandra Raleigh, Mrs Candice Glover, Mrs Hannah Sinclair

Year 2 Curlews- Mrs Toni Pilcher

Year 2 Magpies- Mrs Lizzy Christie, Mrs Sara Marrington

Year 2 Lorikeets- Mrs Anne McGrath

Year 2 Kingfishers- Mrs Renee Macala, Mrs Kandis Huston

Year 2 School officers- Miss Sophie Jones, Mrs Cathy Beale, Mrs Mel Foley, Miss Ashlyn 

Stevens

Year 3 Brolgas- Mrs Sally Woolcock

Year 3 Kookaburras- Mrs Belinda fern

Year 3 Emus- Miss Jamie Eggins 

Year 3 School officers- Mrs Stacey Toigo, Mrs Leza Triffitt

Year 4 Dragonflies- Miss Samantha Garbutt

Year 4 Butterflies- Miss Abbey Huckvale

Year 4 Grasshoppers- Mr Steven Cromb

Year 4 School officers- Mrs Elena Parfenyuk, Mr Jack Hall, Miss Olivia Scott

Year 5 Jellyfish- Miss Rebecca Curley, Mr Theo Papazis

Year 5 Dolphins- Mrs Angela Cowie

Year 5 Turtles- Miss Isabelle Dow

Year 5 School officers- Miss Kiarra Nolan, Mrs Stacey Eisel, Mr Callum O’Dwyer

Year 6 Crocodiles- Mrs Kirsty Aitkins

Year 6 Scorpions- Mrs Kirsty Robins

Year 6 School officers- Mrs Kirsty Herron, Mr Todd Daniels

PE Prep - Year 2 Miss Stevie-Lee Rowe Year 3 - 6 Mr Theo Papazis

Spanish- Mrs Gabby Torrens

Visual Arts / Music- Mrs Cecilia Robertson

Drama/ Dance/ Media- Mrs Sarah Pugh

Technologies- Mrs Sara Pemberton

Wow, that list has gotten long and that’s just the classroom staff. 

School Improvement Plan 2023 - 2027

Please click on the link above (the heading) to see the goals we have set for the next five years at St Benedict’s. Each goal is listed under a Townsville Catholic Education Strategic Priority. You will note that each goal is quite broad and therefore will be unpacked in different ways each year. Next year, if we consider our goals in relation to our school values, they can be broadly summarised as 

• Love- Catholic Social Teaching and Pastoral Care
• Learning- Defining our Literacy Block expectations and developing consistency across the school

Developing High Performing Teams

• Stewardship- Build a Service Learning Framework
• Community- Parent Engagement

As this is our last newsletter for 2022, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for a fabulous year. I am so grateful to our community for your input, your time, your passion and commitment to St Benedict’s. We have a lot to look forward to in 2023, including our final building project to complete our Masterplan and growing to a school of 550 students. 

Have a wonderful last week of school next week and then a safe, happy and holy break. See you all again in 2023.

Cheers

Penny